Poem by English volunteer at South African aids orphanage

Volunteering abroad is more than just about getting away from home or being on the road - it’s about getting in touch with other cultures and giving of yourself, getting to live from your heart and experiencing life from a complete different perspective. Quite simply volunteering changes lives!

Lettie Mckie from England was a volunteer at one of WorkTravelSA.org’s affiliated African aids volunteer programs in 2007. Lettie visited Kayamandi , a local townships and was inspired to write a poem about it.

Kayamandi Beats
Come child and I will take you
Through corrugated streets
And together we will flicker
Through corrugated beats.

Come woman let me take you
Cos our time is running short
Take your coca cola body
Now my pepsi heart is caught.

Come you whose heart is burning
From an ache beyond your years
We will walk in dappled sunlight
I will wipe away your tears.

Come child and I will take you
Through Kayamandi streets
And together we will flicker
Through Kayamandi beats

Lettie Mckie
Stellenbosch 2007

10 out of 10 to Lettie Mckie for this poem and we want to thank her for contributing to Africa and sharing what she experienced.

If you want some more information on getting involved with various African volunteer programs than click on the ‘Volunteer Programs’ image below.

Some interesting facts about elephants…

Did you know about Elephants…

• By flapping it’s ears, an elephant can lower its body temperature by 3ºC
• A baby elephant has nearly perfectly Africa-shaped ears
• As elephants mature, their ears get nicked and torn, giving them very distinctive identifying characteristics
• If an elephant charges with ears flapping, it may only be a mock charge, but if the ears are folded back against the head, the charge is for real!

Ever been interested in working with elephants?

Well WorkTravelSA.org offers interesting wildlife volunteer programs. Volunteer programs where you get to experience international expeditions in Africa and get to assist nature conservationists protect wildlife while making many new friends. So if you looking for some adventure this summer be sure to check out our abroad volunteer programs.